The Lieutenant Dances
by sputterfly
Summary: Maki takes Hinawa as a date to a military formal. (was meant for flufftober but eh.)


"Maki!"

Maki Oze turned around and saw Lieutenant Takehisa Hinawa coming up to her. She had asked him to be her date to a military formal being held in the capital of the Tokyo Empire. Since her father, Danrou Oze, was the general of the Tokyo Army, her attendance was necessary.

"You look beautiful," Hinawa told her.

"Thanks," Maki said. "I still hate that I am making you go to this formal even though we both have mountains of paperwork to do."

"It's no big deal. It'd be a relief to get out of the office for a while, if only for just a few hours."

Maki gave him a gentle smile. As Hinawa led her to the waiting car in front of Squad 8's headquarter's, they passed the main office where everyone was working. In Hinawa's seat was Captain Akitaru Obi, who had taken over for the lieutenant for the evening.

"Give your family hell for us, Maki," Shinra said.

"The ogress has become a princess," Arthur said.

"Who are you calling a gorilla cyclops?!" Maki yelled, punching both him and Shinra.

"How did I end up in this?" Shinra asked.

"Oh, Maki, you're so pretty!" Tamaki said, grabbing her hands.

"Thanks, Tamaki," Maki replied.

"We should be going," Hinawa told her. "Especially since we have to meet your family."

"Yeah, you're right. We'll see everyone later!" Maki said, waving goodbye.

As Hinawa led her to the waiting car, he felt a small sense of impending dread wash over him as he prepared himself to face her father and brother. Both of them hated him, and he had only recruited Maki to join him on the squad. He sighed and squared his shoulders as he sat down in the driver's seat.

"You seem deep in thought," Maki said, looking over at him.

"Just thinking of how I might be able to hold a conversation with your father," Hinawa said.

"You'll be fine," Maki assured him. "My brother will be harder on you, though."

As Hinawa drove through the city, he thought about his time in the army and realized that this would be the first time he would see his former commanding officer since he left the military three years prior.

"Here's the place," Maki said suddenly. Hinawa slowly pulled to a stop.

"You go on ahead," he told her. "I'll go park the car."

"Why don't you use the valet?"

Hinawa sighed. He really didn't want to use the valet. But he also didn't want to keep her waiting longer than she should. He pulled up to the valet and went to hand them the keys.

"This car is the property of Fire Force Squad 8," he told the valet. "Don't mess it up."

"Yes, sir!" the valet replied, shaken. He gave him a ticket with a number on it as Hinawa tipped him.

As the valet drove the car to a parking spot nearby, Hinawa walked over to Maki, who was waiting nearby. She shook her head, disapprovingly.

"You scared that valet."

"I scare everyone."

"Now, that's not true."

"I scare you," Hinawa said. He offered her his arm. "Care for me to be your guide to my demise?"

"You don't scare me," Maki said as she slipped her hand into his arm. "I respect you greatly."

"Enough to ask me to be your date for tonight." Hinawa gave her a small smile.

As he led her into the ballroom, Maki noticed that he was more tense than usual. She watched as he scanned the room for what she could only assume was her family. She felt the muscles of the arm she was clinging to relax suddenly; she believed he couldn't find her family.

"Maki, dear!" her father's voice boomed from beside them.

"Dad, how are you?" Maki asked.

"I'm doing just fine." General Oze leered at Hinawa. "So, you invited Sergeant Hinawa?"

"We're former military and both members of Squad 8. I figured he would fit in more here than anyone else."

She looked over at her brother Takigi, who was scrutinizing Hinawa. He had never forgiven him for recruiting Maki into the Fire Force, and for dragging her into the Nether. Hinawa was giving him just as close an inspection, and both men looked away when they noticed Maki looking at them.

"I'm never going to be able to conversate with your family," Hinawa told Maki.

"Well, how about we dance instead? You can get away from them for a while while we do that," Maki told him.

Hinawa thought it over and agreed. He led Maki out onto the dance floor and proceeded to fumble through the beginning steps of a simple waltz. Maki smiled gently.

"Let me lead," she offered.

"I know all of this," Hinawa said quietly. "I just didn't know I would _need_ it."

Maki laughed. As everything clicked into place in Hinawa's mind, he began having fun. He smiled as he whirled her around the room.

"Lieutenant, do you have the time?" Maki asked him.

"I _always_ have time for you," Hinawa said.

"I meant the time," Maki said, tapping her wrist.

"Oh," Hinawa said, feeling his already-hot face turn red. He lifted the sleeve of his coat to check his watch. "It's almost 9:30 pm."

"Wow, it's gotten late," Maki said.

"When you spend the majority of the evening being interrogated by people who don't like you, time flies fast," Hinawa said.

"You want to leave?" Maki asked him. "I mean, my family isn't going to stop us. I don't even think they're here anymore."

"Sure. Let's go," Hinawa said.

As they walked out of the ballroom, Maki clung to Hinawa while she pulled off her heels; she carried them as they walked toward the front doors. As they reached the entrance, Hinawa fumbled with his jacket as he searched for the ticket to retrieve the car from the valet.

"You put it inside your pants pocket," Maki told him.

Hinawa searched inside his pants pockets and found the valet ticket inside his right pocket. He pulled it out of his pocket and gave it to the head valet. As he was paying, Maki rubbed her arms to try and warm up.

"Here, put this on," Hinawa said, pulling his jacket off.

"Thanks," Maki told him. As she put his suit jacket around her shoulders, she opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by their valet driver.

"Here's your car, sir," their valet said as he stepped out of the driver's side. He went to open Maki's door for her, and she climbed inside.

Hinawa huffed. He had wanted to open her door for her; he gave the valet a tip and took his keys back. As he started the car, he took notice of the time on the clock and pressured the car to go faster.

"Lieutenant, you don't have to go so fast," Maki told him.

"It's getting late, and we have a full day of work tomorrow."

Not long after, they arrived back at headquarters, and Hinawa hurried around to open Maki's door for her.

"Here, let me get that," he said.

"Lieutenant, you don't have to open my door for me," she told him as she stepped out of the car.

"I don't mind."

Maki turned to face him. "Listen, thanks for coming with me tonight."

"No problem. I had fun, even though I knew that your family would hate me." He wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her through the dark garage and back into the cathedral.

Maki stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "I had fun, too."

Hinawa watched her walk toward her room and smiled to himself. He enjoyed spending his spare time with the witch of Squad 8.


End file.
